Hamer's Quest

by Jack Walker

Texas Ranger Frank Hamer confronts white supremacy in 1908 Navasota, Texas.

In 1908, Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Jude McAbee are sent to Navasota, Texas to bring order and peace to a corrupt town divided by racism and class struggles. Here the Rangers meet Mance, a young plantation worker, and learn the horrors of post-bellum plantation life. And Frank meets and falls in love with the aristocratic Mollie. Tensions mount and finally reach a fateful breaking point.

175 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2021

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to make of this book. It's historical fiction, true, but I felt there was a bit too much proselytizing in it, A lot of religious discussions between characters. The bigger picture is that even men of faith can commit heinous acts when need be. The Texas Rangers here were both steeped in faith but could kill without a second thought. So I suppose in that vein, the religious discussions are appropriate.
I liked the characters in this book. They were somewhat untamed but both had a well developed sense of justice. They fought against the violent racism that ran rampant in Texas at the turn of the last century, even at their own peril. The law was the law.
This is not a long read but is packed with action and no small amount of background to the Texas Rangers. I recommend it.

[S. Jeyran Main · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamer’s quest is a historical fiction about Jude McAbee traveling to Terlingua, meeting Ranger Frank Hamer, and beginning working together bringing law and order to Navasota.
The Journey and friendship between Hamer and McAbee really pull the story together, and you get to enjoy the back and forth between the characters and the adventure they face.

The historical references are so exact that the author even uses the abominable words the way they were spoken in 1908-1911. Although most of the novel is fabrications and figments of the imaginary mind, it was still told very well and felt relatable to its period.

The author has hoped this historical novel to be a reflection on the ongoing Christian hypocrisy of our time, and rightfully so, he did an excellent job of portraying this matter.
I recommend this book to historical fiction fans.

[Phyllis Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the beginning, this novel read like a wandering narrative, full of stories of odd characters performing random tasks for unknown reasons with the only uniting element, the narrator, holding the plot together like the congeal in an aspic. What's going on? Keep reading, I thought. The more I read, the more I kept going back to the title. Hamer's Quest. Then it hit. We are on a Quest! A classical literary Quest containing all the implied elements in that medieval genre. There they were. Knights errant, trusty steeds, special weapons, god, man, damsel in distress, a serious dialogue about the fallibility of man, all of it. Very impressive. As soon as I read the last word, everything started making sense. Perfect ending. I wanted to press the five star button immediately. So I did.

[Walter Hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hamer’s Quest” portrays the eternal fight between good & evil. Frank and Jude, the lead characters, are clearly imperfect lawmen, but stand for what is right and good and decent against a corrupt power cabal in the town. The unique ‘quest’ in this prototype “western” category is that the white Texas Ranger has taken a stand for the downtrodden black community. Significant advances are made in the community and yet much of the old racist ways still prevail. Jack Walker has cleverly woven in the attributes of the Christian faith, advancing a unique and artistic approach to apologetics, while maintaining an interesting and compelling story line.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamer's Quest is an excellent book, well worth reading. The vivid characters, exciting action, tender romance, and interesting themes made me regret that the book ended and didn't keep on going. The conflicts between good and evil, justice and injustice, success and failure, love and hatred, education and ignorance, and violence and tenderness give a thoughtful depth to the interesting story. The themes of Christianity and racial justice are creative and courageous, not seen in any other Western novels of which I am aware. So, it is a western novel of our times, set in the past but importantly relevant to the present. I highly recommend this novel.

[Jack Sakalauskas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hamer's Quest is a book of fiction, a total fabrication bordering on the absurd. I wanted a western, something different from my usual reads but was disappointed by my choice.
The pages are filled with name dropping of famous people, products and books, all to fill in pages. In a western one expects the usual fare of gunplay but this has been replaced
by explanations of faith from old time religion, running on for pages and pages. Silly conversations make up another large part of the book.
I am giving it three stars because it might be suitable as a screenplay.

[Greg Whitus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this work by Jack Walker to be both entertaining and informative. He does a great job of weaving in the historical with the fiction. His characters were well developed and believable. Ever since reading Lonesome Dove, I've always held the Texas Rangers to be almost mythical. Here, Jack humanizes them. I found it refreshing to read about the internal and external struggles his characters dealt with. Overall, I would recommend buying and reading this book.